Dublin City Council introduced an amended bin charge last night - and survived abolition on the casting vote of the Lord Mayor, Cllr Dermot Lacey.
Cllr Lacey was immediately deemed to be expelled from the Labour group on the council for his failure to vote along party lines.
The outcome of the vote means that the annual domestic bin charge in Dublin will be €154 for a large-size wheelie-bin and €90 for a small-size bin. The charges represent a reduction on the city manager's proposals for charges of €156 and €104, respectively. They were proposed by Alderman Michael Donnelly, of Fianna Fáil, and supported by the Fianna Fáil group on the council.
Before the vote, Cllr Lacey said that the only issue to be resolved was whether the council declined to adopt the financial estimate and left the running of the city to an "unelected official", who would introduce the charges anyway, or whether they retained a democratically-elected city council.
The charges were supported by the Green Party, which has two councillors. Mr Ryan Meade (Green, Rathmines) said that the differing sizes and charges were "a start" in offering householders the opportunity to save money by creating less waste. It was a demonstration of the "polluter pays" principle, he added.
The Fianna Fáil group, the Lord Mayor and the Green Party mustered 23 votes in favour of adopting the estimate and preventing dissolution of the city council by the Minister for the Environment.
The three Independents, councillors Tony Gregory (North Inner City), Vincent Jackson (Ballyfermot) and Finian McGrath (Clontarf), voted against.
Cllr Ruairí McGinley (FG, Crumlin/Kimmage) said that Fine Gael was determined to provide "political opposition", but Alderman Joe Doyle (Pembroke) spoke and voted in favour of the estimate.
The Labour group on the council voted solidly behind their leader, Mr Tommy Broughan, who declared himself implacably opposed to the charges, reminding the Lord Mayor that Labour had made a pre-election promise to oppose them. However, councillors Mary Freehill, Derek McDowell and Joe Costello were absent. Four Sinn Féin councillors also voted against the estimate.
Just before the vote, the Lord Mayor thanked those who had telephoned to wish him well and repeated his assertion that, in a free vote, a majority of councillors would emerge in favour of the estimate.
When the vote was found to be tied at 23 in favour and the same number against, the Lord Mayor indicated that he would use his casting vote in favour of the charges.
For Cllr Lacey it was the culmination of an uncomfortable period since it became known that the Labour group would oppose the estimate.
The Lord Mayor had kept to his official appointments schedule yesterday, spending the morning at a FÁS training unit, followed by a visit to an art exhibition at Coolock Library.
In the afternoon he attended a meeting on fire safety at the city council offices and at 5 p.m. he received a delegation from the Welsh Assembly.
Howeve,as the council meeting ended, it became clear that Cllr Lacey had more debating to do. Mr Broughan announced immediately that a Labour Party group meeting would be held.
Referring to Cllr Lacey, Mr Broughan commented: "I know there will be a recommendation that he will be expelled from the party. We think it was very articulate, the debate here tonight. A number of people expressed the view that the manager behaved as an administrator for the city and we don't have much of an input into key policies, so that there wouldn't be much difference [if the council was abolished] anyway. So, from that point of view, it is not a victory for local democracy."
